Group fights to stop Common Core

Last week a meeting was held at Ottawa Memorial Park by residents against Common Core standards in schools. Among those meeting were (from left clockwise) Glenn Karhoff, Stephanie Stechschulte, Tammy Morman, Lincoln Bramlage, and Gini Mack. (Putnam Sentinel/Nancy Kline)

PUTNAM COUNTY — When a third grade Fort Jennings teacher testifies on
Aug. 12 in Columbus she will be speaking about her concerns on Common
Core. It is a concern that is shared by a group in Putnam County that
has been meeting regularly since the summer of 2013.

Loss of local
control on curriculum and benchmark standards that will be too
cumbersome to reach are only a few reasons a growing group of local
residents give as reasons to stop implementing Common Core in Ohio and
possibly the nation.

It is why Rose Stechschulte, a third grade
teacher, will testify at the state capitol when hearings are started on
proposed House Bill 237 that calls for a full repeal of Common Core in
Ohio, according to members of a group against Common Core.

Glenn
Karhoff, Glandorf, said he heard about the Common Core standards early
last year that have been adopted for Ohio schools and began doing
research.

“My research made me realize this is not good for kids,”
Karhoff said. His concerns were shared by Gini Mack who had heard a
presentation about Common Core.

“My mouth just dropped when I
heard more about it,” she admitted. Then she saw Facebook comments by
Karhoff and the two began meeting to discuss their concerns and what
could be done.

The Common Core State Standards is an educational
initiative in the United States that details what grades K-12 should
know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade.
It has been adopted by Ohio and will be implemented in the schools
during the 2014-15 school year.

“I think then our cause against
Common Core started spreading by word of mouth,” Mack said. “And the
number of people who came to our meetings increased.”

The group began getting scheduled on Putnam County School Boards to talk about their concerns.

They
invited Heidi Huber to speak to residents about Common Core in Putnam
County. Huber is the founder of Ohioans Against Common Core. She gave a
presentation to a packed room at the Glandorf parish hall in April.

Glenn
also started up a Facebook page, Putnam County Parents and Teachers
Against Common Core Standards, in May 2013 to keep people updated on the
progress of stopping Common Core.

Stephanie Stechschulte, a
member of the group who works in education and has young children, spoke
about proponents of common core saying individual school districts are
responsible for choosing curricula based on the standards.

“The
benchmarks set for the end of the year are so cumbersome to reach that
you cannot deviate from this if you hope to pass the tests,” she said.
“The local school boards don’t have control over the curriculum as a
result.”

Stecchulte also said the “one size fits all”curriculum
ignores the differences among classrooms and students. She also said it
will take away the initiative from the teachers.

On the financial
side, Lincoln Bramlage, Glandorf, said Common Core is a $7 billion train
rolling down the tracks. He said the increased financial costs attached
to Common Core is sending schools to fiscal cliffs.

Karhoff said
when studying five year budgets of some area schools with the
implementation of Common Core they are predicting they will run out of
money.

“Common Core means new text books, new test books, and computers for all students since testing is scheduled to be done online.

“Im
a mother, not a political person, Stechschulte said. “But this is a
fight I feel I have to do for my kids. I don’t want my kids going
through this.”

“We just want what is best for the schools,” said Michelle Doepker, Kalida, a member of the group.